Applying for admission

Our aim at Selwyn is to admit those students who are most likely to thrive on the kind of education offered at Cambridge. The details of the admission process, along with information about particular subjects, can be found by following the links opposite.

We are looking for people who have achieved outstandingly in their academic studies so far, but equally important is the potential to go on to be successful at university level and to flourish in the Cambridge teaching system. Enthusiasm for, and commitment to, the subject you intend to study is also very important, as is wide reading around your subject.

We welcome applicants from all social and educational backgrounds, and are keen to admit students from schools or colleges which have little tradition of sending students to Cambridge. Academic excellence, strong commitment and the ability to do well in the intended course of study are the only criteria for admission.

In assessing potential students we seek to build as complete a picture as possible of their academic abilities and potential. We look carefully at each student’s record in examinations, but always set this in the context of the school or college at which they have studied. We also pay close attention to the references written by their teachers. This allows us to build up a sense of each applicant as an individual.

The vast majority of students at UK schools and colleges will also be invited for interview. The interviews are academically searching and provide us with important additional information; however, we do not select people only by interview – it is just part of the process. Overall we spend a considerable amount of time on each candidate, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. The whole process is a very individual one, and one to which we devote considerable resources of time and effort.